


Homecoming

by canicallyoumaddie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Bonding Moments, Embarrassing Situations, Feels, Fluff, Homecoming AU, Hunk and Pidge are mentioned because they are Good Friends to Klance, M/M, Soft keith, Still Paladins, Texas Homecoming, Texas!Keith, back on earth, broganes, klance, light innuendo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9569888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canicallyoumaddie/pseuds/canicallyoumaddie
Summary: Keith shows Lance what a Texan high school homecoming is like, and it's not exactly what Lance expected. Lance gets the full experience of being a high schooler in Texas. But why do they have to wear such horrifyingly big ribbons on themselves?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ayeeee it's ya boi Klance with some quick ~facts~ about Texas homecoming:  
> \- Mums are LEGIT a big deal in some areas in Texas. If you don't believe me, Google it. I personally did not participate in this tradition because I was a shy bean in high school and tried to stay as invisible as possible.  
> \- Also I already know about who-gives-which-thing and how that works, we just imagined it the way it's written.  
> \- I'm not sure how most high schools plan out the festivities, so I made some stuff up. This conversation occurs on a Wednesday. The homecoming football game is Friday, and the homecoming dance is Saturday night.

A large homecoming mum and garter sat on Keith's desk. Lance looked at Keith, then at the desk, then back to Keith. His eyes widened. 

 

"No way, dude."

 

Keith stiffened. "Come on!!" He pleaded.

 

Lance shook his head. "No frickin’ way."

 

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and retorted, "Seriously? I saved your ass. In space. TWICE."

 

"Okay, yes, you did, and for that I am very grateful. But _seriously_?" Lance rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

 

Keith crossed his arms tightly. "You know I've never gotten to go before! It's a huge deal and I want to go. With you. Please?" He replied. 

 

"But why are they so...big?" Lance gestured at the two large arrangements. 

 

Keith went to pick his up, only to nearly drop it. "Holy shit, this weighs 100 pounds."

 

Lance snorted. "Yeah, yours weighs 100 pounds. At least you don't have it hanging off your arm. I’m pretty sure it’ll break mine."

 

Keith shrugged. "It's a Texas thing. Go big or go home. Besides, these are a big tradition for homecoming football games. We won’t look as stupid as you’d think."

 

"You hate football, though." Lance pointed out. 

 

"Actually, you hate it. I tolerate it. Regardless, I want to participate in the festivities. It's not like we have to watch—we'll probably just talk the whole time anyway," Keith said. 

 

Lance grimaced at Keith, prompting him to roll his eyes and re-cross his arms. 

 

"Are you really not going to do this for me? This one thing? We’re literally just wearing them to a football game. And after that, we can enjoy ourselves mum-free at the dance on Saturday. You love dancing!" Keith argued. 

 

Lance sighed, "You _know_ I will do this for you. I'm just complaining because this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life." He snapped the elastic. "I mean elastic lace? Why does that exist?" He grumbled to himself, looking up and over at Keith. "...What?"

 

Keith stood there silently with a grin creeping across his face. 

 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lance asked. 

 

"You said you'll do this for me," Keith said, then with a sly grin. 

 

Lance stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms. "Yes, I did, but I can still change my mind!"

 

Keith closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. More than you know."

 

Lance fidgeted. "You're welcome.” The display of affection from Keith confused him, but he decided to roll with it. “You're kinda weirding me out though, you usually aren't this cuddly," he said, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist. “Usually hugging you is like trying to hug a cactus.”

 

"Well, yes, but it felt appropriate." Keith leaned back to look him in the face and smirk. "Besides, think of this whole experience as payback for all the times you've embarrassed me. And believe me, karma will be a bitch on this one. Pidge gave us upgrades."

 

Lance's face dropped. "What kind of upgrades?" 

 

Keith's smirk dissolved into a wide smile. 

 

"What kind of upgrades, Keith."

 

Keith winced and said, "Lights?" 

 

Lance gaped at him. "Lights."

 

Keith ventured a smile. "Yeah...?"

 

Lance closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and brought his index fingers to his lips. "You asked Pidge to put lights on what already may be the gaudiest things ever created?"

 

"Hey, Hunk worked really hard helping me!" Keith retorted, releasing Lance, and crossing his arms. "You're acting like a big baby. Besides, when are you going to see anyone from my school again?" 

 

"Um, I don't know, Keith, any time I come back into town?” He said. Keith stared at him, and Lance began to realize the implications of his statement. He watched Keith’s expression, feeling his face grow uncomfortably warm. “...Oh damn it."

 

The grin had crept back across Keith's face with a vengeance. "You're really cute, you know that? Already planning a second visit," he said, winking at Lance and getting close to his face, noses nearly touching.

 

Lance nearly lost his mind and spluttered, "What the hell is going on? Who are you and what have you done with Keith? You know, 5'9", paladin of Voltron, has a mullet?" A violent blush crept across his nose and up his neck.

 

Keith looked him dead in the eyes and said, "I'm an alien. I killed your boyfriend and replaced him with me, an alien clone."

 

Lance paused for a moment, and eyed him suspiciously. He inched over and started poking and prodding at Keith, like he was trying to determine whether it was a joke or not. “You’re messing with me, right?” He asked. 

 

Keith didn't think he could have rolled his eyes more, but he managed it. "Seriously? First, why would an alien be  _ flirtier _ with you? If it’d observed my behavior before now, it wouldn’t have known to act so familiar with you. That’s just body-snatching 101. Second, why is it so weird that I'm flirting with you? You're my boyfriend. Isn't that what humans in a relationship do? Am I missing something here?"

 

Lance cocked a hip and said, "Well, yes… Theoretically, that is what people in a relationship do. However, you have never been like this before? You’re never the one to initiate it.  _ I'm _ the one who flirts with  _ you _ ."

 

Keith looked shocked. "Wait, are you _mad_ at me?"

 

Lance slapped a hand over his face. He’d made Keith feel bad for trying to be affectionate, which was not his intention at all. "No, I'm not— ugh, I'm not mad at you for flirting with me. Honestly, it's really nice and you're really good at it. Almost as good as I am. And I want it to continue. I'm just...surprised to see 'relaxed' Keith. You were so tense for so long, and I feel like I’m meeting the real you for the first time." 

 

"Well, obviously I'm more relaxed now. The entire beginning of our relationship was spent trying to stop an alien emperor who was literally trying to blow up the universe. For once, I'm happy to have something to come home to. Hell, I  _ have _ something to come home to. And I wanted to share this with you. I'm excited, okay? I know you think it's lame, and you aren't wrong, but it's something that is important to me. I remember watching Shiro do it, and since I wasn't out yet, I never really felt like I could participate the way I wanted to, and—"

 

"—I know." Lance cut him off and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry for being weird. A month or two isn't really an adequate length of adjustment time. Just know that I'm supportive, even though I may bitch and moan the whole time."

 

Keith laughed, "You're such a drama queen."

 

Lance rolled his eyes with a smile. He placed a gentle hand on the back of Keith’s neck and slowly leaned towards him, but was stopped by a noise. A shutter loudly clicked and they both froze where they stood. They turned around slowly toward the sound and saw a guilty Shiro peeking out from behind a corner. 

 

"DAMN IT SHIRO!"

 

"Always ruining the moment!"

 

"You're such a  _ dad _ !"

 

A deep laugh permeated the room, causing both boys to roll their eyes. "I'm sorry! I heard it go quiet suddenly so I figured something cute was happening. And I was not wrong," Shiro said, emerging from the hallway and holding up his phone. A tender picture graced the screen. 

 

Lance grimaced. "Ugh, yuck."

 

"We look so gay."

 

Lance looked over at Keith and smirked. "Keith, I hate to break it to you, but we are gay," he said, bumping Keith with his shoulder.  

 

Shiro watched as a spontaneous and teasing wrestling match took place in front of him. Grinning, he pulled his phone back out, snapping pictures. The pair in front of him stopped and grabbed for the phone, earning Shiro some great shots of them scrabbling over one another to reach him. 

 

Lance's ankle twisted in the struggle, sending the two of them crashing to the floor. "Oh shit, are you okay?" Keith asked, quickly and carefully extricating himself from the tangle of limbs. 

 

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Lance said, wincing. "No thanks to Space Dad over there. You are a menace to society, Shiro." Lance lay there like a starfish, staring up at the ceiling. "Do I really have to wear that monstrosity you call a garter?" He noticed Shiro looking at him with eyes that said, “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

 

Shiro jumped as a groan ripped through the air. " _ Seriously _ ?!" 

 

Lance sat up and grinned. "I'm just kidding. But really? Purple and yellow? What kind of school colors are those? They're the worst.” After a moment, his face slowly transitioned from “happy” to “horrified”. “Oh, no. Please do not tell me..."

 

Keith gave him a mischievous look and crawled over to the mounds of fake flowers, flipping a switch.

 

"Oh, noooooooooooo...." Lance cried, falling backward and rolling back and forth on his back. "Even the lights are purple and yellow! Oh, that's horrible. We will look  _ horrible _ , Keith. You know yellow looks bad on me." 

 

"It doesn't look at great on me, either!" Keith said. "We can both wear purple and black, then. Or black. Or nothing. Whatever. I don't care. You just can't wear orange. That's what our opponents will be wearing."

 

Lance shot him a look. "Keith."

 

"Hm?"

 

"You know what color I look worse in than yellow?"

 

Simultaneously the three of them said, "Orange."

 

Both teens looked at Shiro, who rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Don't blame me, you've complained before. About the Garrison uniforms, especially."

 

Lance blinked at him. "Well, duh. They're super ugly." 

 

Keith laughed and admitted, "I...actually agree with that. It was a contributing factor to my dropping out." 

 

A text alert  _ blooped _ , prompting Lance to look at his phone. "Oh, crap, forgot to call my mom. Hold on a sec, guys," he said, punching in numbers and walking into the hall, leaving Shiro and Keith alone.

 

"So..." Shiro said, eyeing Keith. "Everything okay?"

 

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Keith asked, puzzled. 

 

"Well, you looked a little upset earlier, and I wanted to check on you." Shiro replied, towering over Keith. 

 

“While you were spying?” Keith said, giving Shiro a look. 

 

“Keith.”

 

“Shiro.”

 

Shiro’s expression softened. “I know this is important, and Lance can be a little cavalier sometimes…I just wanted to make sure that he understood what a big step this was for you.”

 

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, he can be, but he's honestly been very understanding. He's still 'Lance', but I like him that way, you know? He's actually pretty good at being supportive," he said, looking over his shoulder toward the door. "Really, I'm fine. I'm really happy he's here."

 

Shiro nodded. "I know, I'm surprised his family let him fly here so soon after getting back. California's pretty far." 

 

"I guess his parents realized that he's been through a lot and gave him space. Not a lot of people outside the team can understand what we’ve experienced,” Keith replied. 

 

Lance bounced back into the room, shoving his phone into his pocket. "Hey, what'd I miss?" He said, slinging an arm around Keith’s shoulders. 

 

"How's your mom?" Keith asked. 

 

Lance blushed and said, "She’s fine. She said to tell you hello and that she's still not over you taking me from her this weekend." 

 

Keith crossed his arms. "Is she really upset with me? I didn't mean to—"

 

"—Keith, it’s fine," Lance cut him off. "You're okay. Mom isn't mad—she just wanted to mess with you. Think of her as me, but with better hair and mom powers. Believe me, she thinks you're great."

 

"How can she think I'm great if I haven't even met her?" Keith countered.

 

"Keith. You’re all she's heard about since I got back. You and Blue." He looked over at Shiro. "No offense."

 

Shiro held up a hand. "None taken."

 

"Speaking of..." Lance started.

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of...?"

 

Lance stepped away from him and looked at his feet. "Would you want to come back to California with me? Maybe next week? I know it's really sudden, but I figured it'd be okay, since we're all taking a break from responsibilities right now..." 

 

Keith stared at him and turned a deep shade of maroon. 

 

Panic crept across Lance's face as he opened his mouth to speak. Seeing his distress, Keith launched himself in Lance's direction. Lance's eyes widened as they collided with an  _ oomph _ , falling onto the bed. Keith turned and made eye contact with Shiro, subtly urging him out of the room. Shiro smiled and nodded, mouthing "okay, okay" as he backed into the hallway. Returning his attention to Lance, who was still frozen in panic, Keith untangled a hand and placed it on Lance's cheek. 

 

"I know this is important to you, and I would love to meet your family," he said softly. "But don't be surprised when I bitch and moan about the plane ride there." 

 

"Dude, I don't understand why you hate flying commercial so much,” Lance said, shaking his head.

 

Keith sat up straight and said, "I have no control!! It's infuriating! I flew a damn lion in  _ space _ , I shouldn't have to get in some ugly air boat just to get somewhere 1300 miles away." 

 

Lance laughed and brought Keith back down to his level, cradling Keith in his arms. 

 

They sat for a moment before Keith mumbled, "This feels familiar..." and gave Lance a pointed look. The two collapsed in a fit of giggles and lay on the bed, legs slightly overlapping. Keith felt Lance's fingers find his own, and sighed. "Do you really want me come with you?" He asked tentatively. 

 

Lance looked confused and said, "Why wouldn't I? We spent two years in space together."

 

Keith looked up at the ceiling. "This is different. This is home."

 

"I think my home moved off Earth a year ago, Keith."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance are getting ready to go to the Homecoming football game, but things don't go quite as smoothly as planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to auroura101 on tumblr for being my beta reader for this fic and helping me create this au! 
> 
> Also, TW, there's allusion to anxiety throughout, but the main anxiety attack happens at the end. If you'd like to skip it, it starts with "Lance quickened his pace" and ends at "He felt his phone vibrate." 
> 
> Sorry it took me 100 years to get this chapter out.

On the evening of the football game, Lance was sitting on the bed while Keith was changing.

 

Keith emerged from the closet and asked, “How do I look?”

 

Lance looked up from his phone and paused, looking Keith over. He was wearing a black v-neck shirt with black jeans under the giant homecoming mum he and Hunk made. A smile crept across Lance’s face as he said, “You look great.”

 

“Liar.”

 

“No, I’m not lying, promise. You look…really cute,” Lance said, leaning back on his hands and smiling.

 

“You hesitated!” Keith said, jabbing a finger in Lance’s direction.

 

Lance looked at a loss. “I was trying to find the right adjective! You really do look cute.”

 

Keith threw up his hands. “That’s it, I’m not going.”

 

“Keith, come on. For once, _you’re_ being the drama queen.” Lance rolled his eyes.

 

Keith pretended to deliberate for a moment and admitted, “Okay, that’s ridiculous, of course I’m going. But I feel very self-conscious.” He turned to look at himself in the full-length mirror on his closet door.

 

Lance got up from the bed and took his hand, prompting Keith to turn and face him. Clasping Keith’s hand in his, Lance looked him in the eyes. “You are perfect, and everyone will look at us and go ‘hot damn, who are these studs?’ It will be legendary.”

 

Keith stifled a giggle, more confidently matching Lance’s gaze. “Stop, that would never happen. No one would say that about us, at least,” he said.

 

Lance pulled a face and clutched his chest. “What!? How could you think such a thing? Are you saying that I am _not_ a stud? Are you saying that _you_ are not a stud? Preposterous.”

 

“Oh ha, ha,” Keith said, playfully socking Lance on the shoulder. “Come on, I still need to fix my hair.” He started walking past Lance to the bathroom. “This thing has got to go for now,” he mumbled to himself, putting the mum back on his desk.

 

Lance grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled gently, causing him to turn around. He was greeted with a mischievous grin, prompting him to roll his eyes. “Yes, Lance, you can help me.”

 

“Oh thank God, the day has finally come!” Lance said dramatically, swooning into Keith. “We finally get to fix that monstrosity of a hairstyle you have!”

 

Keith pulled back and looked him square in the face. “I swear to God, I will kill you if you get near my head with anything sharp. I love you, but not that much,” he deadpanned.

 

“Okay, okay, geez, I promise I won’t damage the mullet!”

 

After the two boys crammed themselves in Keith’s small bathroom, Lance proceeded to run his fingers through Keith’s long hair. Keith seemed to melt in response. His hair was soft, but a little frizzy and unbrushed. Lance hummed as he played with it, smiling when he noticed Keith’s eyes had closed. He stood on his tiptoes, placed his chin on Keith’s head, and said, “What’cha thinkin’ about?”

 

Keith kept his eyes closed and shrugged. “Nothing much. Are you going to keep fixing my hair or not? Because your chin is very pointy and it hurts my scalp,” he said, tipping backward to lean on Lance. His relaxed demeanor returned the minute Lance threaded his fingers through his hair again.

 

“Ah, but you do like people touching the mullet! Who knew?” Lance teased, grabbing a brush and carefully taming his dark hair. Keith’s face reddened and he took a half-hearted swipe at Lance. “I do _not_ like people playing with my hair,” he grumbled, cracking open one eye. Lance grinned at him and said, “Sure, whatever you say, babe.” Keith scrunched his eyes closed, and the room fell silent for a few moments. Left alone with his thoughts, Lance started to feel uneasy about the evening ahead. To ignore it, he focused on getting the tangles out. Once he had finished brushing, Lance began to softly nuzzle Keith’s neck. He wiggled a little, making Lance pause, distance himself, and bring his hands to rest on Keith’s hips.

 

Keith opened his eyes and looked at Lance through the mirror in front of them. “What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

 

Lance blinked at him and pursed his lips. “You moved, and I didn’t know what you wanted me to do. I panicked and stopped.” He tried to laugh it off, but Keith didn’t buy it. He avoided Keith’s gaze, hoping that the subject would just drop. He didn’t want to admit that he was really nervous for the evening ahead. That would mean that he was uncomfortable, and Keith may feel bad for making him uncomfortable—even though it wasn’t his fault—and that would just make things awkward…

 

“Lance?”

 

Keith’s question broke Lance out of his stupor. He met Keith’s eyes in the mirror and sighed.

“The anxiety is starting to catch up with me,” he said into Keith’s hair.

 

Keith’s expression softened. He should have known this was going to happen. Asking Lance to come all this way was already a big request; the very last thing he wanted to do was make him anxious. He turned around to face him. “You know we don’t have to stay for very long, right? If it starts getting overwhelming, let me know, and we can come back home,” he said, running his hands up and down Lance’s arms soothingly.

 

The look on Lance’s face made him feel worse. Keith could tell something had started to eat away at him, and it made his gut twist. “You know I mean that, right?” Keith asked, gently turning Lance’s cheek so he could meet his eyes.

 

Lance nodded slowly, and sighed. “I’m sorry. I really am. I feel like I’m going to ruin this for you and that makes me feel awful,” he confessed, closing his eyes and pulling Keith closer. He felt soft lips brush his own, and hands curl around his waist. He found himself nose-to-nose with Keith, who was giving him a soft smile.

 

“You won’t ruin this for me, I promise. Having you here now is more than I could have ever hoped for.” Keith kissed Lance’s cheek and proceeded to drag him out of the bathroom. “Unfortunately, I have to put this bonding moment on hold because _someone_ isn’t ready and we have only an hour until we have to leave.”

 

“But we didn’t even do anything to your hair!” Lance whined, “Not even a headband?”

 

“No! I like it this way,” Keith said, digging around in his dresser.

 

Lance gave him the stink eye and caught the clothes Keith threw at him. Holding the shirt out in front of himself, he wrinkled his nose. “Keith, you realize I’m way taller than you, right?”

 

Keith scowled. “You’re what, two inches taller than me?” He said, walking over to assess the situation.

 

“This is going to look like a crop top on me, you know that,” Lance said, watching Keith blush and look very guilty. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Are you _kidding_ me? This was intentional?”

 

Keith giggled and snatched the shirt from him. “I’m just messing with you! I wouldn’t make you wear that…in public. I just wanted to see your face,” he said, giving him a wink. “In private, though…” He turned back to the dresser and started digging around for another shirt.

 

In an attempt to cover up how flustered he was, Lance grinned and said, “Well, now you’re almost making me _want_ to wear it!” He began to sneak over to Keith, carefully stepping around discarded shoes and articles of clothing.

 

Keith’s back stiffened, and Lance heard him say, “Lance, if you’re about to do what I think you’re about to do, don’t.”

 

“You never let me have any fun,” he pouted, draping himself over the dresser. “You’re such a chicken.”

 

A t-shirt hit him in the face, and he frowned. Keith looked at him and grinned. “Whoops, sorry,” Keith said, shrugging his shoulders and leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “But seriously, you need to get ready. You always take forever.”

 

On the spot, Lance stripped off the shirt he was wearing and replaced it with Keith’s. When he could see again, he noticed that a very red-faced Keith was staring at him. Lance gave him a sly smile and crept over. “Keeeeith, is that a blush I see? Are you _embarrassed?_ ” He leaned down so they were nose-to-nose.

 

Keith covered his face with his hands and shook his head. He said in a muffled voice, “You are shameless, you know that?”

 

Lance gently took his hands and brought them away from his face. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you. I know I’m a little less private than you are,” Lance said, kissing Keith lightly on the nose.

 

Keith narrowed his eyes and said, “Yeah, you are.” He sighed. “But I wasn’t _embarrassed_. You just looked so—“ Keith’s eyes widened and his face turned a darker shade than before.

 

“What? How did I look?” Lance grinned, leaning on the dresser seductively.

 

“I’m going to get some water,” Keith huffed and pushed around him. Lance grabbed Keith by the wrist and spun him around.

 

“You were going to say I looked hot, weren’t you?” Lance said with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

 

“Let me go, Lance,” Keith said, unfazed.

 

“Come on, indulge me this _once_!” Lance whined, pulling Keith closer. “Pleeeeease? For me?”

 

Keith pursed his lips. “Lance, indulging you would inherently _be_ something _for_ you. You can’t ask me and say to do it ‘for you’!”

 

“Do it for him, Keith,” Lance said, smooshing Keith’s face into his chest.

 

“Lance, for the love of God, stop being so dramatic!” Keith said, reaching up to grab Lance’s face and push him away. He looked up at the clock. “Crap! Lance! We have _twenty minutes_ before we have to go!”

 

Lance groaned as he spun on his heel and headed toward his bag. He pulled out a pair of dark wash jeans and changed, all the while glaring at Keith.

 

Keith was trying to maintain his composure while locking eyes with Lance as he stepped into his new pair of pants. _Dammit_ , he thought, mentally slamming his head into the wall.

 

He did not, in fact, maintain his composure.

 

Lance had already stalked off to the bathroom to check his hair in the mirror, every so often looking over his shoulder to shoot Keith a look.

 

“What did I do?” Keith said, staring back at him. “You’re the one who’s taking so long to get ready!”

 

“Well _I’m_ _sorry_ if I wanted to flirt for a little while before we were body-to-body with strangers for three hours,” Lance mumbled to himself, raking his hands through his hair. He looked himself over in the mirror for a moment, then nodded. Satisfied with his appearance, he stomped back into the bedroom.

 

He was greeted by a hug-tackle and a squeeze. “You look really hot in those jeans,” Keith whispered in his ear. Before Lance could reply, he was released and left with a very warm face and butterflies in his stomach. _Damn, I can never stay frustrated with him for long, can I?_ He thought, rolling his eyes with a smile.

 

“And you’re a huge nerd, what else is new?” Lance commented, inspecting his nails nonchalantly. He peeked at Keith out of the corner of his eye and frowned when Keith stuck his tongue out at him.

 

“Are you done? Can we go now?” Keith groaned, throwing his head back dramatically.

 

“Geez, yeah, okay—I’m ready to go,” Lance replied, grabbing his personal effects. He felt ribbons brush his arm, and he turned to see Keith holding his garter out to him.

 

“You promised!” Keith chirped, looking way more enthusiastic than he should have.

 

Lance took the garish decoration from him and slipped it on his arm, holding it out for Keith to inspect. “Is this acceptable, my liege?” He asked, playing up the tawdriness of the whole situation.

 

Keith grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the door. “Yes, that’s great—hurry up!”

 

A short while later, Lance was faced with the gates of the football stadium. He felt himself tense up as he clutched Keith’s hand.

 

“Lance. _Lance,_ ” Keith said, pulling him out of his own thoughts. “You okay? I’m about to lose feeling in that hand.”

 

Lance jerked his hand away from Keith’s, shoving it into his pocket. “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

 

He felt a hand loop around his elbow, prompting him to face Keith.

 

“You know can be honest with me, Lance.”

 

Lance sighed and looked at his feet. “I’m just intimidated by the size of this place. I’ve never seen a high school stadium this big before.”

 

Keith perked up and looked at the scaffolding above them. “Well, actually, this stadium is used for lots of things! The schools in the district use it for track, football, soccer…”

 

Lance had stopped listening. He was absorbed in the stimuli surrounding him, fighting to keep his thoughts under control. After a moment, he took several deep breaths and forced himself to rejoin the conversation. “Oh really? That’s really cool. I guess you need a bigger space to accommodate such large student bodies, huh?” He asked, hoping Keith hadn’t noticed anything was wrong.

 

Keith eyed him with concern, but didn’t comment. He slipped his hand into Lance’s and led him toward the student section of the stadium.

 

Lance steeled himself as he climbed the stairs behind Keith. The lights on his garter faintly flickered, illuminating his face with purple and yellow as the two boys found seats closer to the middle, around the 30-yard line. The football players were warming up on the field, and Lance pressed himself as close to Keith as he could.

 

Keith laid his head in the crook of Lance’s neck, and they sat in silence. “Just so you know, the band is going to start playing soon. It startled me the first few times I went to games, so I wanted to let you know. I hope they have a good set this year, though. They’ve had a history of playing…outdated songs,” Keith said, trying to lighten the mood.

 

Lance nodded, trying to relax. He felt Keith’s hand start to rub circles on his back, and leaned into his touch. The stadium was still quite sparse, but there was about half an hour until kickoff. Keith had started kissing his collarbone, making his shoulders drop a little, but the ease was short-lived. A group of loud teenagers filed into the seats in front of them, making him tense up.

 

Keith noticed the change in his disposition, and moved his chin to meet his eyes. “You can do this. Just breathe. Did you take your meds, today?”

 

Lance nodded.

 

“I think once the game starts, it’ll help for you to have something to focus on. Do you want to talk about something to take your mind off things until then?” Keith asked with knitted brows.

 

Lance took a shuddering breath and nodded again.

 

Keith smiled gently and asked, “What do you think of Texas so far? Is it everything you thought it would be?”

 

“N-no,” Lance stuttered, “It’s a lot prettier than I thought it would be. And there’s always the ‘riding horses to school’ trope,” he added, smirking.

 

Keith could tell he was slowly starting to relax, and continued. “What was most surprising? Aside from the whole ‘homecoming mum’ thing.”

 

Lance opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by loud music. He jumped and clutched his chest, prompting Keith to wrap an arm around his waist. “That was probably the most surprising thing so far,” Lance said, glaring at the band.

 

Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s torso and replied, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Usually I have to stare at them until they start playing just so I don’t get caught off guard.”

 

Lance nodded, not taking his eyes off the band. Keith could feel Lance’s pulse quicken, and silently prayed that he would be able to relax for at least a little while. After a few moments, Lance’s breathing slowed and his heart rate calmed, so Keith relaxed his grip. The two of them focused on the field, where both teams were preparing for kickoff. Keith hadn’t failed to notice that the stadium was getting increasingly more crowded, and he hoped Lance was distracted enough to have been oblivious to the number of bodies surrounding them.

 

Unfortunately, Lance couldn’t say oblivious for long.

 

The first quarter had passed uneventfully, but Keith noticed that Lance had begun to look uncomfortable. The people on the other side of him had been encroaching on his space, and Lance had started inching closer and closer to Keith to avoid them.

 

Keith was worried, but didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t want Lance to panic, either. Besides, he told Lance to tell him if they needed to leave, right? He should trust him to be honest. _You know he won’t tell you unless you ask_ , his conscience told him. _He wants you to have a good time, even if it’s at his expense._ Keith couldn’t argue with that. Lance was so self-sacrificing that he would willingly put up with an anxiety attack if it allowed Keith to do something he had been looking forward to.

 

The second quarter was starting, and the milling about had quieted in anticipation. The people beside Lance had bumped into him multiple times, and the most recent time was the last straw. Scooting past Keith, he murmured, “I’ll be right back.”

 

Keith blinked at him and tried to ask if he wanted company, but Lance just brushed him off and hurried away. Keith watched him go with a look of concern, unsure of what to do.

 

Lance quickened his pace to nearly a run and hurried down the steps. Looking around him frantically, he caught sight of the restroom and pushed through the door. Locking himself in a stall, he put his face in his hands. _Breathe._ He thought, in a feeble attempt to calm himself down. His pulse was going a hundred miles an hour, and he felt like his head was full of cotton. Clamping his eyes shut, he focused on counting his breaths. _You’re going to be fine. You can just ask Keith to switch places with you, and then you’ll be okay. You don’t have to force him to leave yet. Just breathe._ Every one of his senses was overwhelmed, making it painful to even exist.  He didn’t like crowds. No one expected that from him--the extrovert, the life of the party--but it wasn’t the people. It was the proximity. It was the heat of unfamiliar bodies next to his, combined with the abrasive noise that always accompanied them, that made him want to scream.

 

He was frustrated, too. Frustrated that there was no reason to have so much anxiety over this whole situation.

 

Sure, he didn’t like crowds...but that didn’t mean he had to freak out every time, right? And Keith was with him; there wasn’t a logical reason for him to feel unsafe.

 

That didn’t make him feel any safer, though.

 

He felt his phone vibrate, and he looked down to see a text asking if he was okay. He tightened his grip on the phone and leaned his head against the stall door. Ignoring the message and closing his eyes once more, he focused his energy on regaining control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked Ch2! Sorry for breaking our child, he deserves the world. 
> 
> I love reading your comments and seeing kudos--it's so encouraging! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of chapter 2 and the evening's events that follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry that this has taken me a month to get out! I intended on making this chapter longer, but decided to keep it focused and make Ch4 the homecoming dance chapter. Thanks for bearing with me! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and kudos! I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Keith had started to fidget as he waited nervously for Lance to return from wherever he had gone. He had texted him, but hadn’t received a response, which was worrisome. He was tempted to follow him, but he knew that that probably wouldn’t be helpful. Lance didn’t usually like to be touched when he got anxious. He’d always joked about it, but Keith knew he was serious about his “Give me 10 before you try and calm me down,” method of coping. He sighed and resigned himself to wait a few more minutes before pursuing him.

Lance’s breathing had started to slow, but the sick churning in his stomach had yet to subside. He still had his head pressed against the stall door, fingers pressing into his temples. He had opened his eyes though, and glared at his feet. He felt guilty for leaving—he always did when this happened—but he trusted Keith to give him his space for a few more minutes. He suddenly was grateful that this wasn’t the first time he’d had an anxiety attack around him. He remembered the first time it happened; it was before he and Keith had gotten together, and it wasn’t even the result of a stressful situation. Allura had snapped at him for one reason or another, and he had just frozen in place. He recalled the sick feeling that surged through him, his face heating up and his pulse quickening. Keith had noticed from his spot across the room, and had guided him out by the elbow when Lance started to shake.

Keith had been so gentle with him, helping him back to his room, and sitting next to him as his shoulders shook and tears streamed unbidden down his cheeks. He had apologized over and over, trying to wave Keith off and tell him, “I’m fine, really! This is just a thing that happens, give me 10 and I’ll be right as rain!”

But Keith had stayed, sitting a short distance away, until the sobs turned into hiccups and his pulse evened out.

That really was the moment Lance began to look at him in a different way; no longer as the person to beat, but as a partner. He had realized how stupid he was for fighting with Keith, just because he was disappointed with himself. From that point, their relationship had bloomed into something that Lance now cherished. He was so grateful that Keith had taken the time to get to know him so well; grateful that he was someone that Keith also cherished, despite his glaring flaws.

Thinking about Keith calmed him, and he soon found himself feeling light and no longer nauseated. He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone, but the moment he opened a message to Keith, he heard a soft knock on the stall door.

“Lance?” A quiet voice asked from the other side.

“It’s me.”

“Are you okay? I’m sorry if I’m stressing you out more—I was just really worried,” Keith said, and Lance could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Lance unlocked the stall and pulled it open, revealing a very nervous boy with furrowed brows and downcast eyes. “I’m okay. Thanks for giving me a few moments,” he said reassuringly, reaching for Keith.

Avoiding getting tangled in the mum, the two boys hugged. Lance felt Keith’s sigh of relief, and a little smile crept over his face. “I love you,” he whispered involuntarily.

He felt Keith melt a little in his arms as he whispered, “I love you, too. Do you think you’d be okay to go back, now?”

Lance pulled back and nodded, slipping a hand into Keith’s and leading them out of the restroom. “I’m sure this looks super weird,” he said with a short laugh. “But I guess people have seen weirder here, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You have _no_ idea. I’ve seen girls get escorted out because they’ve snuck in minis of alcohol in their tights. Us walking out of here together is no biggie,” he said, putting a hand over his face.

“Gotta love high school, I guess. That’s something I miss from space, though. No age restrictions,” Lance said, eyeing Keith.

Keith returned the side-eyed glance and pursed his lips. “You don’t get to say _anything_ to me, dude. You _know_ you were always the one I had to carry to bed because you’d passed out,” he retorted.

“What can I say? I was _technically_ an adult, and in most countries, _including_ mine, that’s totally legal,” Lance replied, waggling his eyebrows with a grin.

Keith groaned, “You’re insufferable. Why am I dating you again? Because you’re a walking trash fire?”

“No, that’s the Galra Empire. I am just a very, _very_ hot mess,” Lance replied with a smirk, bumping Keith with his hip.

His blasé demeanor had returned, making Keith smile as he returned the hip-bump. “You don’t even live in Cuba any more, genius. States’ rules apply now.”

“And that is a _shame_ because I really think I’m gonna need something to help me get through the rest of this game. Is your team _always_ this bad?” Lance asked with a grimace, glancing at the scoreboard. It read 0-31.

“I don’t really remember, but I think Shiro mentioned more than once that we really suck,” Keith replied, mirroring his expression. “Maybe we _should_ leave. This is gonna get boring really quick.”

The hope that involuntarily lit Lance’s eyes was heartbreaking, but left as quickly as it appeared. “Only if you want to, babe,” Lance said, attempting a nonchalant shrug.

Keith looked out over the football field with pursed lips. “Yeah…I think we should go. This is getting boring and I’m honestly a little tired.”

With clasped hands, the two hopped back down the stairs and walked toward the exit, ribbons waving in the breeze.

***

They reached the car, and Lance’s stomach audibly growled, pulling a laugh from Keith. “Sorry, I guess I’m ready for a second dinner,” Lance said, wrapping his arms around himself with a chuckle.

Keith’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “This is perfect.”

“…Why?”

Keith looked Lance dead in the eyes and held up his fist. “Whata-burger,” he said, punctuating each syllable with a raised finger. 

Lance looked at him skeptically.

“Trust me, you’ll like it,” Keith said, wiggling in his seat and pulling out of the parking lot.

On their way home, Lance was raving. “When you said this was better than In’n’Out, I didn’t believe you—and don’t worry, I still vehemently disagree—but I _kinda_ want to marry those chicken strips…” He said, sinking into his seat with a sigh.

“Don’t be fooled, though—their toast is _not_ Texas toast. I should know—it is one of my primary food sources,” Keith said, looking out of the corner of his eye and laughing. “But it’s good, right?”

Lance nodded sleepily, stifling a yawn. “All that overstimulation and carbs tired me out, my man—I’m ready for a food coma,” he said, leaning his head on the car window.

“Well, we’re about home, so we can just head to bed if you want.” Keith noticed the clock said 10:00 pm, and added, “It’s been a long day, and I think that both of us are rightfully worn out. I wouldn’t mind getting extra sleep tonight.”

Lance looked over at him lazily. “You going to kick me out of bed this time?”

Keith got flustered and stammered, “N-no! I’m sorry! I didn’t realize I did a first time…” He turned red and furrowed his brows.

Lance reached over and tapped him on the arm lovingly. “I’m kidding. Well, not about the kicking part, but I didn’t fall _out_ of the bed. I…just got shoved a little close to the edge. I was fine, though. You’re just cuddly for about 15 minutes and then you get too hot and shove everything two feet from you.” He laughed and look Keith’s hand in his as they pulled into the driveway.

Keith still looked a little dejected, but seemed to accept Lance at his word. Noticing an absent car, Keith pointed out, “Oh, Shiro still isn’t home.”

Lance gave him a sly look, to which Keith replied with an eye roll.

“Oh, _come on_ , you know I’m nothing but a gentleman,” Lance whined, slumping down completely in the passenger’s seat. “I was just playing around. Can't a guy flirt with his boyfriend?”

Keith shook his head, unable to fight back the smile crawling across his face. “I know you are, you dweeb,” he said, exiting the car and heading to the front door. 

Lance sat alone for a moment before reaching his hand out to take the door handle. As he tried to open the door, the car beeped, locks going _click_. He pulled on the door, but gained no purchase. “KEITH!” He exclaimed, glaring out the windshield.

Keith looked back at him with a grin and a look of feigned innocence, and unlocked the car with the remote. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were still in there,” he said, standing on tip-toe to offer Lance a kiss when he approached.

Lance looked at him, unimpressed, but kissed him anyway. “Sure, you did, mullet,” he mumbled, tagging the end of his comment with a small smile as he followed Keith inside.

“I heard that.”

Expending all that emotional energy at the game made Lance _unbearably_ clingy. Keith practically had to shove him out of the bathroom when he went to take a shower, and that still didn’t keep him from sneaking back in once the water turned on. Here and there, Keith's cries of “ _Lance!”_ punctuated the silence, and were followed by peals of laughter. The two emerged after a while, hair still damp, wrapped in fluffy towels.

“You _know_ my shower is too small, Lance. I don’t know why you keep trying to sneak in,” Keith huffed, clearly miffed his time alone had been interrupted.

“You keep telling me that, and I just don’t believe you,” Lance replied, lifting his chin and looking away. 

“I got boxed out and had to stand in the cold, while you took a hundred years to wash your hair. And the shower was _my_ idea! I barely got to finish using it before you hogged all the hot water,” Keith retorted, rubbing a smaller towel over his hair.

“Keith what are you _doing?_ You know rubbing your hair is bad for it! It’ll cause the strands to break!” Lance cried, lunging for the towel.

Keith gave him a look of incredulity and stepped backward. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Lance tripped over his own feet, bringing both himself and Keith crashing to the floor.

Keith lay there in shock, blinking furiously, and Lance hovered over him with their noses inches apart. Keith started turning beet red when he realized…he’d lost the towel that was wrapped around his body.

The room was filled with screeching as the two wildly tried to gather themselves together, Lance’s complexion matching Keith’s. The initial shock of the whole situation drove them both to throw on whatever clothing they could find laying around. Keith collapsed on the bed in a heap.

“Sorry, babe,” Lance said, coming to sit on the bed beside him. "You know I'm a klutz!"

“You’re fine. It’s nothing we’ve never seen before,” Keith said, his face relaxing into a smile. "You're basically a spaghetti noodle-it's not your fault you're so clumsy."

“What I don't get is why that was so embarrassing. It’s not like we started dating last month,” Lance said, bursting out laughing. "I'm pretty sure something like that happened in the Castle once, too. I think I tried to prank you and it totally backfired." 

“Well, of course it backfired-you're not as good at pranks as you think you are. But you only stole my towel and ran off with it back then. This time, I think it was the shock of falling over _naked_. There’s a degree of self-preservation that comes into play,” Keith said, joining him in laughter. "A survival instinct kicks in when you're wearing only a towel. Speaking of naked," Keith added, gesturing to Lance's unclothed torso. He lay back onto the bed and stretched. 

Lance looked at the shirt in his hands, realizing he’d forgotten to put it on. He pulled it over his head, but was grasping at air as he tried to pull it to meet the waistband of his sweatpants. Recognition dawned on his face as he realized he’d grabbed the first shirt Keith had suggested he wear for the game.

“Uh, Keith?” Lance asked.

“Yeah?” Keith replied, looking up at the ceiling.

“Remember how you tried to get me to wear a crop top earlier?”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and made to sit up. “Yeah…”

Lance got to his feet and turned to face him. “You got your wish,” he said, placing his hands on his hips and smirking.

Keith’s face turned purple.

As Lance doubled over with laughter, he failed to notice Keith getting up and approaching him.

“I think you look pretty sexy, honestly,” a smooth voice said from behind his shoulder.

Lance stiffened, feeling a hand trace his spine. “Y-you think so?”

“Mhmm,” Keith responded, burying his face in Lance’s back.

Lance felt his face getting uncomfortably warm. His brain short-circuited. “Oh, well, uh, that’s…uh…really nice of you to say.”

Keith straightened and looked at Lance’s back with an unimpressed look. “Seriously?” He asked. " _That's nice of you to say?"_

Lance put his face in his hands and shuffled away.

“Wait, no!" Keith stretched out an arm towards Lance, "Baby, come back, I’m sorry!” Keith said, laughing. “I didn’t think you’d get that embarrassed!”

“You _monster_ , using my own tricks against me!” Lance lamented, flopping onto the bed face-first. “What kind of boyfriend _are_ you??”

Keith climbed on top of him, squishing him into the mattress. “I am the best kind! I am a koala!” He exclaimed, and latched himself onto Lance’s back.

“Oh, _god_ not the koala again,” Lance groaned, his voice muffled by the pillows. “Please get off me, Keith, you’re going to break my spine.”

“Nope!” Keith buried his face in the crook of Lance's neck.

“Please? I promise I won’t ambush you in the shower again," Lance pleaded, feeling the life being squeezed out of him.

“That’s a lie and you know it!” Keith shouted.

Lance groaned again, “Okay, yes, that’s a lie, I will continue to do that until the day we die, old and happy in the Bahamas. But for now, I _promise_ I’ll give you your shower time until I leave. Just please get off my back.”

Keith ungracefully climbed off him, somersaulting onto his back. “I’m off, I’m off! You better keep your promise, though.” He said, waggling a finger.

Lance clapped a hand over his face. “Yes, I will uphold my end of the bargain. Thank you for not suffocating me, even though I shouldn't have to thank you for not killing me.”

Keith flashed him a big smile and a wink that made his heart flutter. “Sure thang,” he said, flipping onto his stomach and wiggling under the covers. “Can you turn off the light please?”

“Wait, you’re already heading to bed? I still have, like, 40 things left to do,” Lance responded, turning off the overhead light and clicking on a lamp. "Sure you won't let me try my skincare routine on you?" 

Keith shook his head. "Well, what about the other stuff?" Lance asked, looking down at his swaddled boyfriend.

“Eh, I’ll brush my teeth in the morning,” Keith said, muffled by the comforter.

Lance gasped and brought his face in close to Keith’s to whisper, “You understand that if you wanna make out in the middle of the night, I’m gonna kick you out of the bed to go brush, right?”

Keith shot upright and scrabbled to the edge of the bed. “You know what? I’m gonna go do that.”

Lance grinned, “You know what? I think that’s a smart idea,” and swatted Keith on the butt as he passed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance get their groove on at the Homecoming Dance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *presses palms together* BOI I'm so glad I got inspo to finish this. A big big thank you, as always, to auroura101 on tumblr for helping me out with ideas, being my beta, and making sure my boys experience a healthy dose of angst now and then. 
> 
> (TW for bullying- it happens at the end of the dance scene. It doesn't really get physically violent, but the guy's a major dick.)

The next morning, Lance woke up first, finding himself tangled in Keith’s sheets. He looked over at the sleeping boy beside him with fond eyes and gently pressed a kiss to his temple. Keith made a little noise in his sleep, squirming a little closer to Lance, and tightening his arms around him.

 

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Lance said, running a hand through Keith’s hair.

 

Keith scrunched up his nose and muttered, but didn’t wake up.

 

“Keeeeith,” Lance sang, “Wake uuuupppp.”

 

Clearly disturbed by the noise, Keith squinted up at him with a grouchy expression. “Mornin’,” he said, stretching his legs out and extricating them from Lance’s. “What time is it?”

 

“It’s 10. I thought it’d be nice to sleep in a little while. What do you want to do today before the dance?” Lance responded, putting his phone screen-down.

 

“Brunch?” Keith asked hopefully, re-positioning to get a better look at Lance’s face.

 

“Of course, do you even know me?” Lance said, winking and kissing him on the nose.

 

“ _ Yesss,”  _ Keith said, burrowing further into the sheets.

 

The two crawled out of bed to get dressed, and after brunch, found themselves walking around downtown arm-in-arm, killing time until they had to get ready.

 

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Lance asked, giving Keith a sidelong glance. “It’s been a while since you’ve been around your old schoolmates.”

 

“Not too nervous, I guess? I obviously lost touch with them when I went to the Garrison, but then we did the whole ‘space’ thing after I got kicked out…so I never really went back. I’m sure they’ve forgotten about me,” Keith replied. “I’m just hoping to have a good time; I know I don’t really go here anymore, but Shiro was able to finagle some tickets for us.” Lance nodded, looking straight ahead, and they continued in silence.

 

After a few moments, Keith asked, “I actually never asked—what did you bring to wear?”

 

Lance grinned and squeezed Keith’s arm. “You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You won’t tell me? I’ll tell you what I’m wearing—it’s not that special, anyway.”

 

Lance shrugged. “You can tell me what you’re wearing if you want—but I’m not spilling.”

 

Keith gently bumped him with his shoulder and smiled. “You’re insufferable. You know that, 

right?”

 

Lance chuckled and moved the arm entwined with Keith’s to wrap around his waist. “Yeah, I know. You tell me frequently. You love me anyway, though, so it can’t bother you  _ too _ much.”

 

Keith leaned into his touch and kissed his cheek. “You’re right, it doesn’t bother me  _ that _ much.”

***

The couple headed home after a little while to get ready for the dance; they still had a couple of hours until it started, and while they didn’t plan to arrive on time, they wanted to make sure they had ample time to eat dinner beforehand.

 

While Lance was in the shower, Keith lay on the bed on his stomach, messing with his phone. He could hear Lance singing in the shower, and he rolled his eyes fondly. He remembered all the times he could hear Lance’s singing around the Castle ship; he got so used to it that silence sounded weird to him, which was something he never thought could happen. Living in the desert had accustomed him to silence, and he secretly was relieved that he felt more comfortable hearing Lance in the background, rather than quiet.

 

He let his arm hang loosely over the bed, phone nearly slipping from his grip. He zoned out, staring at one spot on the floor. He was startled at the sound of the bathroom door opening, accidentally dropping the device. He looked up to see Lance gazing at him from the doorway, water droplets clinging to his wet hair. He had a soft expression on his face, and his arms were loosely crossed over his chest. Keith met his eyes for a moment, and mirrored Lance’s soft look.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hey. Whatcha’ doin’?” Lance asked, leaning casually against the door frame, bare skin slightly flushed from the heat of the shower.

 

“Just waiting for you,” Keith replied, pushing himself into a sitting position. “How was your shower? You seemed to be having a good time in there.” He smirked and Lance stuck his tongue out in response.

 

“You know you love my singing voice, don’t lie,” Lance said, slowly crossing the room to stand in front of Keith. “It was very nice, by the way. And don’t worry, I left you some hot water, too.”

 

Keith sat up on his knees so his face was level with Lance’s. The smirk was still on his face as he sat there, noses inches apart. “Well that’s good,” he said softly, his eyes flicking down to Lance’s mouth momentarily.

 

“I saw that,” Lance said, wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist. His bare chest and arms were damp, but Keith didn’t mind. He relaxed in Lance’s grip and brought his hand up to cradle Lance’s jaw.

 

“You were supposed to,” Keith said coyly.

 

“Oh, really?” Lance replied, leaning forward slightly so their noses were touching.

 

“Really,” Keith whispered.

 

“Well, then,” Lance said, and Keith moved instinctively closer. “Time to go take a shower!” Lance said, letting go of Keith, throwing him off balance. Keith nearly fell off the bed, yelping, and Lance laughed, offering him his hand.

 

“You are such a  _ troll _ !!!” Keith said, grasping Lance’s hand for dear life.

 

“I’m sorry! It was just too tempting!” Lance replied, kissing his forehead. “I couldn’t help it!”

 

Keith crossed his arms and pouted, ungracefully stepping off the bed and heading to the 

bathroom. “I’m going to shower, now.” He threw a look back at Lance over his shoulder, lifting an eyebrow as he checked him out from behind while Lance’s back was turned.

 

“Are you checking me out?” Lance asked, not turning around.

 

“No…” Keith replied, continuing to stare. Lance turned around and winked.

 

“You’re a liar.” Lance gave him a seductive glance and slowly made a move to remove the towel from his waist. He laughed as a red flush covered Keith’s face, and dropped the towel.

 

There was another towel underneath.

 

Keith slapped a hand over his face as Lance doubled over with laughter, and he groaned, “That’s it, I’m going to go shower.” Lance was still laughing as Keith closed the door loudly and started the water.

 

Lance had already put on his pants and an undershirt by the time Keith got out of the shower, towels wrapped around his head and waist. Lance turned at the sound of Keith exiting the bathroom and suppressed a snort. “That’s a good look for you,” he said. Keith stuck his tongue out at him and pulled the towel from his head.

 

“Well you bitched at me for rubbing my hair to dry it, so I had to figure  _ something _ out,” he replied, throwing the damp towel in Lance’s face. Lance made an indignant noise, and Keith laughed.

 

“So, have you decided to show me what you’re wearing yet?” Keith asked, sitting down on the bed. He leaned back on his hands and looked lazily in Lance’s direction. He did not fail to notice Lance was wearing slacks that were  _ very  _ nicely tailored.

 

“Why would I bother showing you before I finish getting dressed? That doesn’t make any sense,” Lance replied, taking his dress shirt surreptitiously off a clothes hanger. “Besides, shouldn’t you be getting dressed, too? We don’t have super long until the dance, right?”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Keith huffed, taking his time to stand up. “Hey, can you—“

 

He was hit in the face with the pair of pants and boxers he’d laid out on his desk chair. He gave Lance an exasperated look. “ _ Thank _ you.”

 

“You’re welcome!” Lance sang, and Keith rolled his eyes and went to change.

 

A few moments later, Keith emerged wearing black suit pants that were hanging a little low on his waist. He was preoccupied with looking for a belt while running his hands through his damp hair to get the tangles out, until he noticed Lance staring at him. He blinked back at him. “Yes?”

 

Lance turned a little pink and looked away, coughing into his hand.

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked, smirking.

 

“Oh, yeah, I’m great. Thanks for asking. How are you?” Lance replied, pointedly looking anywhere but Keith’s bare torso.

 

“I’m great. You’re looking a little flushed, there—are you sure you aren’t running a fever?” Keith asked playfully, and Lance reached up to cover his ears.

 

“No, I’m not,” Lance insisted, still refusing to look at him.

 

“I could have sworn your face turned a little pink for a moment.”

 

Lance vigorously shook his head. “Trick of the light, I’m sure.”

 

Keith grinned as he took a few steps toward Lance, who had stopped buttoning his light blue pinstriped shirt the moment Keith had exited the bathroom. Lance busied himself once again with doing the buttons, unintentionally skipping one and throwing off their alignment.

 

“Here, let me,” Keith said, reaching for Lance’s shirt. Lance’s flushed face turned a deeper shade of pink and he stared at Keith’s hands. Keith had unbuttoned the misaligned buttons and had started to redo them, when he stopped, looking up to meet Lance’s eyes. “What?”

 

“Suddenly I’m  _ really _ nervous,” Lance said, wide-eyed. His eyes met Keith’s. “Is that normal? Should I be this nervous?”

 

“It’s a little unnecessary,” Keith said as he finished with the shirt, and lay his palm on Lance’s chest, “but I understand why you would be.”

 

Lance took a deep breath and tried to smile, but generated a grimace instead. “Okay, well that’s good, at least.”

 

“You look like you’re about to keel over,” Keith said, not unkindly. He moved his hand from Lance’s chest to cup his cheek, and gave him a soft smile. “You’re going to be great. You already look great, and you aren’t even fully dressed yet.” Keith leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, and Lance relaxed a little.

 

“Thanks,” Lance breathed, leaning into Keith’s touch. “I’m excited, but also a little nervous. We haven’t been here very long, and I’m still getting acclimated to being  _ here _ , and…”

 

Keith pressed his lips to Lance’s, and Lance put his hands on Keith’s bare waist. After a moment, Lance slid his arms around him and picked him up off the ground, making Keith squeak in surprise. “Lance!” Keith said, flailing around. “What—“

 

Lance laughed and flopped onto the bed, still holding him, with an  _ oof _ . He rolled off Lance and looked over at his boyfriend. Lance was looking up at the ceiling, smiling, and Keith couldn’t help but lean over and kiss him on the cheek.

 

“Okay, well, I’m going to put a shirt on,” Keith announced, hopping off the bed and narrowly avoiding Lance’s reach.

 

“Nooooo, come back,” Lance mumbled, splaying out on the bed. “Why did you leave meeee.”

 

“I have to get ready, Lance, It’s 7pm.”

 

Lance pushed himself to a sitting position with a grunt and stuck his tongue out at him.

 

“Oh, very mature,” Keith said, chuckling as he dug through his dresser. Slipping a clean tee shirt over his head, he went over to the closet and pulled out a crisp white shirt. He proceeded to dress himself, fully aware that he had an audience. He smiled to himself, his back to Lance, and slipped the shirt over his shoulders, leaving it open. He walked back over to Lance, who had been watching, and reached out to him. “Help me?”

 

Lance grinned and practically leapt off the bed to meet him. Carefully taking the shirt in his hands, he began to do each button, giving Keith seductive glances the whole time. Keith pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. “What.”

 

“Oh, I was just thinking how I’ll get to do the opposite of this later,” Lance said, winking.

 

Keith groaned and covered his face with his hands. “You are insufferable. You’re  _ such _ a flirt.”

 

“I know,” Lance said, grin widening, “but you love it. I know you do, because you never tell me to stop.”

 

Keith peeked between his fingers and muttered, “Yeah, you’re right. I do love it. No matter how hard I try not to.”

 

Lance finished buttoning the shirt and planted a big kiss on Keith’s lips. “All right, let’s get this party started, huh?”

***

 

The pair quickly ate dinner and managed to arrive fashionably late to the dance. It was a classic homecoming dance; balloons and decorations on the walls, chairs clustered in dark corners, and dim lights. It was loud, and Lance clung to Keith’s hand. He didn’t realize how tightly he must have been holding it until Keith leaned over and asked if he was okay. Lance nodded, relaxing his grip, but the music was starting to give him a headache.

 

Keith led him to away from the dance floor, choosing a corner that was a little quieter. They sat down, knees touching, and Lance looked around nervously.

 

Keith ran a hand through Lance’s hair. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you so nervous?” He looked concerned.

 

Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of Keith’s fingers in his hair. Turning to look at Keith, he sighed. “You’d think that after fighting aliens I’d be fine with a few people and some music.” He was smiling, but it never reached his eyes. “I’m okay, I promise.”

 

Keith bit his lip. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” he started, and Lance put a hand on his arm to stop him.

 

“No,” Lance said firmly, looking him in the eye. “You deserve this. I’ll get over it. You invited me here, and you were right, I  _ do  _ like dancing—I just forgot what high school dances were like.” His tone was sincere, and Keith sighed.

 

“If you’re  _ really _ uncomfortable, please tell me. I’m not going to make you suffer so I can go to a stupid dance. I love that you’re so self-sacrificing, but I want this to be fun for you, too. Okay?” Keith said, lacing his and Lance’s fingers together.

 

“Okay,” Lance agreed with a nod, and he stood up, tugging Keith to stand with him. “Let’s go dance.”

 

“Are you sure?” Keith asked apprehensively, dark eyes searching Lance’s thin face.

 

“Yes,” Lance replied, and loosened his navy tie. “Besides, that’s why we came here, right? So I can see more of your  _ amazing  _ dance moves?”

 

Keith groaned and nudged him with his shoulder. “You said we wouldn’t ever talk about that again,” he whined, “I was drunk that time—it doesn’t count!”

 

“ _ Sure _ ,” Lance said, winking at him, and snaking an arm around his waist. “Blame it on the alcohol.”

 

“I was!”

 

Lance laughed and led them toward the dance floor, where a mass of teenagers was milling about with no particular organization.

 

“—do you want to do this?”

 

Keith blinked, looking up at Lance. “What?”

 

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. “I asked, ‘ _ So how do you want to do this?’ _ .”

 

“Do what?” Keith asked.

 

Lance rolled his eyes and made a vague gesture to the people around them. “The whole  _ dancing thing _ .”

 

Keith still looked confused, and Lance pinched his nose. “I love you, but you are so dense sometimes,” Lance said, arms encircling Keith’s waist. “One would think you’d never danced with a partner before.”

 

“I mean,” Keith said, clasping his arms around Lance’s neck, “I  _ haven’t _ danced with a partner before.”

 

Lance gaped at him. “Yes, you have! You danced with  _ me _ !”

 

Keith squinted at him and pursed his lips. “Did I?”

 

Lance continued to gape at him, and Keith started to smile. “You’re right, I did dance with you. But that was nice, diplomatic-ball-type dancing. This is...” He looked around them, “grimy teenager dancing.”

 

Lance laughed and touched his forehead to Keith’s. “We don’t have to be gross about it, you know,” he said, then leaning down to whisper in his ear, “we have your house for that.”

 

Keith huffed out a laugh and tightened his arms around Lance’s next. Their bodies were flush against each other, and they had started to sway. Keith looked up in surprise when he felt Lance’s body shake with giggles, and he lifted an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”

 

“This dance style is  _ so  _ wrong for this genre,” Lance said, giving Keith a sideways smile. “We’re doing the 80’s prom dance while listening to  _ Get Low. _ ”

 

Keith buried his head into Lance’s chest and started to laugh. “We’ve been away from Earth for a while, haven’t we.”

 

Lance moved one hand from Keith’s back to weave his fingers through Keith’s hair. “Yeah, but that’s okay. We’ll adjust.”

 

The two of them decided to dance in a style that was a  _ little  _ more appropriate for the music being played, and after a while, returned to their corner to cool off. Lance had already taken off his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, but Keith had only slightly loosened his black tie.

 

“You’re going to burn up,” Lance said offhandedly, noticing Keith’s hair had started to stick to his forehead. Keith raised an eyebrow at him, and Lance gestured to his outfit. Keith looked down and realized what he meant.

 

“I didn’t even notice this was still so tight,” he said, yanking at the knot of his tie, and loosening it some more.

 

Lance gave him a smirk and reached over to undo the top button of his shirt with one hand, and Keith smacked him. Lance retreated, rubbing the back of his hand. “What was that for??”

 

“You’re being pervy,” Keith said, trying to hide a smile. “We are in  _ public _ .”

 

“Oh, come on,” Lance said, flinging his arms wide, “You  _ know _ people are doing worse things than that here.”

 

“Wait, really?” Keith asked, genuinely surprised.

 

Lance slapped a hand over his eyes. “Did you even  _ go _ to high school?”

 

“Yes…” Keith said, looking a little hurt.

 

Lance rolled his eyes and pressed his lips to Keith’s temple. “It’s okay, I know you were kind of a loner, anyway. Don’t worry about it—you don’t really wanna know.” Keith shrugged in response, and the two of them fell silent.

 

“Isn’t it weird that none of these people have  _ no  _ idea that their planet nearly got destroyed?” Keith said after a while. 

 

“Right? It’s so odd being around normal teenagers again…” Lance replied, gazing out over the crowd of excited students, dancing in time with the music. “I almost forgot how to be one.”

 

Keith nodded, and sighed. “I’m really glad we were able to come, though. It’s hard to be back, but I feel like this is just one way to keep ourselves grounded. Literally. I know the work’s not quite done, but…it’s nice to be back.”

 

Lance hummed in agreement, and cast a fond eye over his brooding boyfriend. “Hey, Earth to Keith?” He asked, reaching over to poke at Keith’s knee. 

 

Keith looked up and blinked slowly, realizing he’d zoned out. “Hey, sorry, I just kind of...spaced out. I wonder what things would have been like if we’d never gotten pulled out to space?”

 

Lance squeezed Keith’s knee gently. “Well, for one, I would be stuck at the Garrison while you lived in the desert, so that would  _ suck _ , and for two, we would have still hated each other, even though we’d never really spoken,” he replied, meeting Keith’s eyes. Keith gave him a little smile, and cocked his head. 

 

“Who would have thought that we would have started dating, defeated Zarkon, and come back to Earth, just to come to a stupid dance?” Keith asked, smile widening. “Look at the decorations! They’re terrible.”

 

Lance laughed and squeezed Keith’s knee again. “Babe, this is what a normal high school dance looks like. It’s  _ supposed _ to be terrible. I’m just bummed no one’s spiked the punch yet.”

 

Keith gave him a sly look and stuck a hand into his pocket. “What…?” Lance asked, furrowing his eyebrows. His face relaxed as it dawned on him. “You didn’t.”

 

Keith motioned toward the drink table with his head, and Lance leapt up with a grin. “Be right back,” Lance said, darting off toward the refreshments.

 

When he came back, Keith surreptitiously pulled out the two minis of vodka he’d snuck into the dance with them and poured them into their cups. “Now we’re being  _ real _ rebels—this has nothing on what we did in space,” Lance joked, taking a sip and wincing. “Aaaaand I forgot how terrible Earth alcohol tastes.” 

 

Keith sipped his and mirrored Lance’s expression. “You’re right. That, or the punch was already spiked, and we’re gonna get  _ wasted _ .”

 

The two boys looked at each other and laughed, but continued to sip at their drinks. “So,” Lance said, “did you want to find some of your old friends?” Keith made a noncommittal sound, and Lance looked at him sideways. “What?”

  
“I didn’t exactly have many friends in high school, Lance. I’m not the most social person, and I generally am pretty bad at socializing in general, even with people I know,” Keith replied, focusing on the liquid in his cup. “I honestly just wanted to come here and spend time with you.”

 

Lance gave him a soft smile and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. “Well, isn’t that sweet of you! I hope that I’m not  _ too _ disappointing of a date.”

 

Keith looked at him out of the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrows appraisingly. “Eh, you’re not too bad.” He grinned as Lance nudged him playfully. “Also you’re a hella good dancer, and who  _ wouldn’t  _ want someone as hot as you grinding on them?” 

 

Lance flushed, mouth flapping open and closed like a fish, and Keith giggled. “Well, I’m glad we got to do some of  _ that _ , then,” he said, winking at Keith. “You’re not too bad of a dancer, once you get in the groove, babe.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh, sure. I can’t keep rhythm to save my  _ life _ , Lance. The only way that worked was because you had a death grip on my hips.” Keith grinned. “Not that I minded, though.”

 

Lance pursed his lips thoughtfully, then looked at Keith with a sneaky grin. “Wanna do it again?” He asked. Keith smirked and stood up quickly, grabbing Lance’s hand and pulling him back toward the dance floor. 

 

“Round two? You know it,” he said over his shoulder, holding Lance’s hand tighter. The two let themselves be surrounded by the thump of the bass and the flashing lights as they moved together for a few songs, blissfully absorbed in just being a pair of teenagers again. 

 

By the time the two of them returned to their corner, Lance had already unbuttoned his shirt all the way, revealing his white undershirt, and Keith had rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. Both were drenched in sweat, and chuckled at the redness that had colored their cheeks. Lance gingerly ran his fingers through Keith’s sweaty hair, carefully untangling bits here and there. 

 

“Did you bring a hair tie? Your hair is going to be  _ nasty _ when we get home,” Lance said, leaning forward to kiss Keith’s forehead. 

 

Keith raised his eyebrows as he dug in his pocket and produced a black band. “Thank god,” he sighed, reaching up to pull his hair into a short ponytail. He smiled at the catch he heard in Lance’s breathing, and looked up at his boyfriend, who had chosen to look away guiltily. 

 

“What?” Lance asked, feigning innocence. 

 

“See something you like?” Keith asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Lance scoffed and playfully shoved him. The two of them sat closer together than they had earlier, and Lance absentmindedly played with Keith’s fingers as they people-watched. 

 

“Do you want to go home soon?” Lance asked, not really looking for an answer.

Keith shrugged, but before he could speak, a couple walked up to them. Lance noticed Keith’s eyebrows furrow as they approached, and Lance protectively took his hand.

 

“Hey,  _ Keith _ ,” the boy said, looking at the two of them judgmentally.

 

“ _ Hey _ ,” Keith said through gritted teeth, and Lance felt Keith grip his hand tighter.

 

“Who’s this?” the other member of the couple, a girl, asked. Keith didn’t seem very pleased to see her either.

 

“This is my…” He looked at Lance and took a sharp breath. “This is my boyfriend, Lance.”

 

Lance waved halfheartedly, then returned his concerned gaze to Keith’s face.

 

“What do you want?” Keith asked, clearly put off by their presence.

 

“Whoa, no need to be hostile, dude,” the boy said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I won’t bite. I just hadn’t seen you in a while and was surprised to see you here. You know, after you left the school and everything.” He had approached Keith and was looming over him; clearly positioning himself to look intimidating. He clapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder a  _ little _ too aggressively and squeezed it. Keith shrunk back somewhat, and the boy grinned menacingly. “But really, where’d you go? You just disappeared off the face of the Earth, and now are back for this? Are you that stupid? You know you shouldn’t be here.” 

 

Lance felt like the air was crackling around them with hostility, and briefly considered intervening until Keith spoke, interrupting his train of thought. “Jared, let go of me. I don’t want to fight you—not here. Just leave me alone.” He was surprisingly calm, but Lance knew better than to mistake that as meekness. Keith was coiled up tightly, ready to strike if things got nastier. A smile ghosted over his lips as he realized that this guy had no  _ idea _ the kind of physical strength Keith possessed now. 

 

Jared gave Keith a slight shove, just enough to knock him off balance and nearly cause his chair to topple over. “I don’t think you heard me—you know better than to ignore my questions, dumbass.”

 

“I don’t have an obligation to you, or anyone else here, to talk about anything that’s gone on while I was missing. Back  _ off _ ,” Keith said through gritted teeth, fists clenching and unclenching with checked rage. 

 

Jared’s eyes darkened, and he dug his fingertips more into Keith’s shoulder, causing him to wince with pain. “You seem to have forgotten exactly what I can do to you, Kogane.” At that, Lance made to stand up and force his hand from Keith’s shoulder, but Keith placed a calm hand on Lance’s leg to stop him. 

 

Jared sneered, and the girl with him started to look nervous. If she didn’t approve of the situation, though, she made no movement to stop them. “What? Need to be protected by your  _ boyfriend _ ?”

 

Lance saw Keith’s scowl deepen, and glared at the intruder. “Why are you bothering us?” He asked.

 

The boy looked surprised to see Lance talking to him, and his mouth curled up into a sneer. “I was just saying hi to an old  _ buddy _ of mine—it’s no big deal.”

 

Lance pursed his lips. “Well from the looks of things, he’s no  _ buddy  _ of yours, so you can just fuck off.”

 

“ _ What  _ did you just say to me?”

 

Lance swallowed hard, and Keith stood up; he was a good distance shorter than this guy, but anger radiated off him in waves. “Leave him out of this. What the  _ fuck _ is your problem?” Keith spat, clearly trying to keep from jamming a finger into Jared’s chest. 

 

“ _ Oho _ , not wanting your boyfriend to see how much of a little bitch you are?” Jared replied, giving Keith an amused look. “I see how it is. You’re acting like hot shit because you went to space, or something. Well, you came back for nothing. You’re still the nobody you were way back when.”

 

Keith was livid, now, but had amazingly kept his anger in check. Jared took his lack of reply as an insult, and continued. “Why are you even trying to look normal? You know you won’t be. No one liked you before—what makes you think they will now? You fucking had to  _ drop out  _ because no one gave a shit about you—“ 

 

Lance had gotten to his feet and gave Jared a cold stare, daring him to continue. He had obviously underestimated Lance’s height, because he seemed to change his mind and stop berating Keith. “Come on, Amy, I don’t think we’re wanted here,” he said, leading the girl with him away from the two boys. She gave them an apologetic wave, then stumbled as her date pulled her along aggressively.

 

“Well that was…horrible, to say the least,” Lance ventured, trying to read Keith’s clouded expression.

 

“That was  _ Jared, _ ” Keith spat. “He was one of the reasons I left this stupid school. I’m not surprised to see he got held back a few grades.”

 

“What exactly did he  _ do? _ ” Lance asked, blue eyes filled with worry. “He said…”

 

Keith sighed and leaned his head on Lance’s shoulder. “He liked to push me around every now and then. One day, he tripped me and I fell down a flight of stairs. I had a really nasty bruise on my ribs that made it hard to move around. I told Shiro and his parents that I wanted to leave and…” He looked out over the dance floor and sighed heavily, again. “When I left the school, Shiro suggested I follow him to the Garrison instead. I did okay there for a while but…well, you know what happened.”

 

Lance nodded somberly, following Keith’s line of sight. He was surprised to hear that Keith’s experience in high school was so unfavorable. It made him curious as to why he even wanted to  _ come  _ to homecoming events. He could tell Keith didn’t really want to talk about it further, though, and he put a hand on Keith’s leg. “Why don’t we go home, hm?” He asked, squeezing Keith’s knee. “I think that whole encounter killed the vibe.” He looked at his watch. “Holy crap, it’s late, too. I didn’t even realize…let’s go, babe.”

 

Keith lifted his head from Lance’s shoulder and put his hand over the one that was on his leg. “Okay,” he said, standing and taking Lance’s hand in his. “Let’s go.”

 

***

 

Keith pushed his way into his bedroom, Lance close behind, and kicked off his shoes. Lance went to stand close behind him, wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist. “Babe,” Keith said.

 

“Hmm?” Lance said, voice muffled by Keith’s hair.

 

“We should probably put on pajamas, hm?” Keith replied.

 

Lance shook his head, making Keith smile. He wiggled a little, trying to loosen Lance’s grip. “Come on, I want to sleep.”

 

Lance groaned and released him. However, Keith started to panic when Lance decided to strip down to his undergarments in front of him.

 

“ _ Lance!”  _ Keith hissed. “What are you doing?!”

 

Lance look at him from under hooded eyelids and blinked. “Hm?”

 

“You just took all your clothes off. In the middle of the room.”

 

Lance looked around, realizing that yes, he had in fact thrown his pants and shirt onto the floor where he stood. His eyes widened and he turned red. “Whoops. Sorry, old habits die hard.”

 

Keith shook his head and walked over to him, a small smile creeping across his features. “It’s okay. I was just surprised.”

 

Lance nodded sleepily, draping an arm across Keith’s shoulders. “You gonna change, too?” He asked.

 

Keith nodded, and Lance gave him a sly look. Keith rolled his eyes and stood with his arms to his sides facing him. “Would you like to do the honors?” He asked, and Lance grinned.

 

“I’m a little shocked you’re actually letting me do this,” Lance said as he began unbuttoning Keith’s shirt. Keith couldn’t help but blush in response, and Lance chuckled. “You’re cute when you get embarrassed.”

 

“Oh, hush,” Keith said, halfheartedly swiping at him. Lance chuckled again and put his hands on Keith’s waist when he’d finished with the shirt. He ran his hands up and down Keith’s sides and leaned forward to press a kiss to Keith’s forehead.

 

“I love you,” Lance whispered.

 

“I love you, too,” Keith whispered back, giving him a small smile. “Thank you for coming with me.”

 

“Of course, sweetheart. You know I’d do anything for you,” Lance said, meeting his eyes.

 

Keith nodded. “I know.”

 

Patting him on the sides, Lance gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Okay, so are you going to let me put a face mask on you, or what?” He asked, spinning Keith around and herding him toward the bathroom.

 

Keith made a show of sighing exasperatedly, but smiled and said, “Sure.”

 

Lance punched the air and shouted, “ _ Yes!” _ and Keith shushed him, giggling.

 

“It’s midnight, Lance!” Keith said, “You’ll wake up Shiro!”

 

Lance made a face and helped Keith out of his button down. “Oops. My bad.”

  
The pair giggled and prepared to go to sleep, drama from earlier forgotten, looking forward to the week ahead. Keith was both nervous and excited to meet Lance’s family, but he knew it meant a lot to Lance that he come home with him. Keith listened to Lance babble as he put the mask on Keith’s face, looking at his boyfriend fondly. All the anxiety of coming back to his hometown—the anger from confronting his high school classmates—melted away, and he felt relaxed for the first time in a long time. 


	5. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I haven't abandoned you!

Okay guys, I haven't abandoned this I PROMISE, I just was caught up with school and didn't really have much inspiration for what comes next :/ I do have part of the next chapter written, it's just that I have that "I have too many aus and I don't know what to do with my spaghetti brain" issue. I can't make any hard and fast predictions of *when* I can get the next chapter out, because I have a BB piece plus school and depression, but I hope it's relatively soon. I just wanted to give an update because I feel like an ass for just disappearing when I've updated other things. ;o; thank you for your patience and loving me anyway!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! Here is the Texas!Keith homecoming au nobody asked for, but we gave to you anyway. As Texans, we are totally* qualified to make this au a thing. A huge thank you to Auroura101 on tumblr (check out her stuff like right meow she does the art and it's DOPE auroura101.tumblr.com) who developed this au with me and was kind enough to beta this fic. 
> 
> *read: possibly 
> 
> Also I feel like I need to side note: Some of the insecurities mentioned in this fic are my own, so...yah. I felt it was important. Like planes are the worst, right?


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